Daniel J. McAuliffe
Leveraging professional commitments to become a more effective author is a challenge that Daniel McAuliffe has mastered. Mr. McAuliffe is a recognized leader making a difference for the legal community through his service as the 2007-2008 president of the Arizona Bar Association, as partner in Snell & Wilmer's Appellate Practice Group, and from his expertise as a distinguished author.
Mr. McAuliffe recently provided insight into how professional commitments and responsibilities as an author can complement each other:
Q: How do your professional commitments, your practice, and initiatives at the Arizona Bar complement your writing career?
A: Prior to being president of the Bar, I served for a long time as chair of its Civil Practice and Procedure Committee, which permitted me to both stay current on procedural developments in Arizona and, to some degree, influence them. I have also focused my practice on appellate work, where quality of writing is at a premium.
Q: How has your time as a West author influenced your career in legal practice and as a leader in the profession?
A: The fact that I have authored several books for West has established
my standing as one knowledgeable in the subject matter of civil procedure. It has led to frequent invitations to address lawyers in CLE programs on the topic of procedure and procedural reform.
Q: What inspired you to start writing?
A: I have always enjoyed writing on legal issues, from the time I participated in moot court in law school. I also became acquainted with Professor Charles Alan Wright, and it became a goal to have authored a work which courts cited as authority, as they did for his treatise on federal civil procedure.
Q: Considering the amount of time you must invest throughout the year to your publication, how do you balance your writing with other professional commitments?
A: The trick is to do the research required to keep my books current throughout the year rather than in the period prior to when a manuscript is due. I prepare summaries of cases construing procedural rules as they are issued and keep them in a database I have designed for the purpose. This minimizes the time commitment required and insures that it does not interfere with my other commitments.
Q: Do you have any advice for individuals just starting their careers as authors?
A: Select a topic or subject matter for which you have a passion, rather than one that you think is functional. That will make the time involved in preparing a manuscript far more enjoyable.
Daniel J. McAuliffe, 2007-2008 president of The Arizona Bar, is a partner with the Phoenix office of Snell & Wilmer, where he specializes in appellate work, commercial litigation with an emphasis on antitrust law, construction law, defense of civil racketeering, lender liability, and accounting malpractice claims. Mr. McAuliffe's publications include West's Arizona Civil Rules Handbook (2007 Ed.) (Arizona Practice Series), Civil Procedure (3d) (Arizona Legal Forms), and Civil Trial Practice, 2d (Arizona Practice Series).
Featured Author's Titles